


'Til the End of the Line

by insanity (orphan_account)



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Boyfriends, Canonical Character Death, Character Death, Depressing, Endgame, Flashbacks, Gay, M/M, One Shot, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Sad, Stucky - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-09
Updated: 2019-03-09
Packaged: 2019-11-12 18:31:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18016124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/insanity
Summary: Thanos is dead.The universe is restored.The infinity stones are safe.The Avengers won."I'm with you 'til the end of the line, punk."All except one made it out alive.All except for Steve Rogers."I know you are, and so am I."Two soldiers, one heart.





	'Til the End of the Line

**Author's Note:**

> You may be a little confused at some point during this story, but please refer to the note at the end of this one-shot so I can clear up why I wrote in what I did :)

It all happened so fast.

Steve remembered winning the war with the other Avengers, and he remembered walking back to the helicopter that would soon bring them to the Avengers compound from Wakanda.

What happened next was what had happened so fast, but he remembered the distinct sound of gunfire cracking through the air and feeling a push in his torso, followed by a stinging ache within the spot he was pushed in. He had gotten shot, and there seemed to be no exit wound.

Steve collapsed to the ground gripping his midsection, his face contorted in pain while he groaned. The super soldier briefly removed his hand from his middle and glanced down, sighing heavily when he saw red coating the area around the wound as well as his hand. He cursed beneath his breath at the sight, looking up to the others. He could briefly hear one last gunshot and saw a figure collapsing in the distance, Natasha lowering her gun afterward.

"Steve, just hang in there, okay? We're going to get you back up to the compound, the nurses in the infirmary can help you," said the redhead, shoving her handgun back into its holster and then crouching down beside him. "You're not dying today."

Steve gave a breathy chuckle before wincing, taking in a deep yet shaky breath almost immediately after. "I don't know what they'll be able to do for me. You'd have to remove the bullet and then sew me up, and that's while keeping my vitals up. There's too many factors, I don't think I'll be making it out of this one alive..." He could feel a gentle hand on his shoulder, to which he looked to his right and met the gaze of the Asgardian thunder god. "You will have died a noble death this day, my friend. The world will not forget you, for you have brought much greatness upon Earth."

Abruptly, the quick pattering of feet could be heard, along with a sound that seemed to be a gun falling to the ground. "Steve! Shit!" The oh-so familiar face of Bucky Barnes neared, kneeling down beside the blonde. His best friend, his _lover_ , was shot and he there was nothing he could have done to stop it. Despite knowing this, he put himself up to blame anyway. The sight made his heart shatter into a billion different tiny pieces, a heart so old that he didn't think it would ever be able to be fixed by anyone else except Steve. "Oh, I'm sorry, Steve. I'm sorry, I-"

"Shut up," he said weakly yet lightheartedly, trying to sit up with a small groan, only to feel Bucky's arms wrapping around his shoulders carefully and holding him to his chest. "You couldn't have done anything about it... None of us saw him. Don't apologize for something you were unable to control..." Steve looked up at the man, giving a faint smile. Even while he was lying on the ground slowly dying, the sight of his lover still made his heart jump. Bucky was perfect, in his eyes, and he always had been. He was so grateful to have him in his life even far before he got the serum. "I love you more than anything. Don't let this slow you down. It... It's gonna be hard, really hard - I know because it's how I felt when I thought you died. But... You'll make it through, you're so strong, Buck... so strong. It's a strength I always admired."

Bucky's bright blue eyes were slowly welling up with fresh tears, though he tried so hard to blink them back upon feeling the gentle stinging sensation within them. He didn't want to cry, not now. He didn't want his crying to be the last thing Steve saw. "Stevie... I don't think this is something that even strength can get me through. I..." He stopped for a moment to clear his throat as his voice began to waver, those tears forming within his eyes once more, eyes that had once been so full of light yet now were so... dull. Such sad eyes; Watching Steve die was the hardest thing he's ever had to endure. "But for you, I'll try... I'll _try_... Dammit, I love you..." Over the course of the last year or so, he and Steve had been talking about getting a surrogate to have children of their own, and even getting a small house and one dog together. Life without Steve Rogers was bound to be so lonely.

"Trying is all you can do at this point, right...? We can only ever try, we can't always make promises." Steve sucked in a deep breath, the breath holding a slight wheeze to it. He exhaled it heavily, moving the now-bloodied hand from his torso and over to his wrist. His movements were shaky as he loosened the straps around his shield just enough so it could simply slide off, hitting the ground with a soft thump. "Keep that... please. I want you to have it. I want you... to always have that. To keep me with you..." He sucked in another breath, the breathing getting harder by the minute. He wanted to hold on as long as he could, but he knew it wouldn't be long before the world he knew - the world he kept safe for so many years - faded to black.

Looking down to the shield as Steve took it off, he was visibly surprised to be gifted the vibranium disc. There was a brief thought in his mind that had said that perhaps the man wanted the object to be buried with him, but then another said that it was silly to think that. "...You want me to have your shield...?" Bucky's eyes raised to meet Steve's cerulean eyes, a couple of warm tears finally slipping past his eyes and slowly rolling down his cheeks, tears he didn't even bother to wipe away for once. He soon nodded lightly, forcing a small smile. "Okay," he whispered, the smile fading away as fast as it had arrived. "I'll keep it close... I'll never let it go. Hell, I'll be buried with the thing if I have to." His words earned a soft chuckle from Steve, a chuckle that turned into a light cough and then a wince.

"Bucky, we need you to let go of Steve," spoke a soft male voice - Sam - coming from the blonde soldier's right as well, placing a hand on the brunette's shoulder. Bucky shrugged the hand off of his shoulder stubbornly, shaking his head. "Fuck no..." Absentmindedly, his grip on Steve tightened just a little, but nowhere near enough to hurt him further. Even subconsciously, he knew better than to hurt Steve, even unintentionally or by accident. "I'm not letting go of him..." Bucky turned his gaze onto Sam, giving a somewhat-annoyed glare.

"We need to get him back to-"

"I said _no_! I'll carry him, but... please, just... let me hold him." His eyes softened significantly as he then looked back down to his partner, bringing his metal hand up to gently stroke Steve's cheek. "It could be the last thing I get to do... I don't wanna leave him..." Steve gave Bucky a weak smile and then turned back to face his right where the Asgardian and his winged friend stood.

Steve motioned for Sam, swallowing thickly. "C'mere... I gotta tell you something first..." Almost immediately, the man crouched down to be closer to Steve as he lay on the grass in Bucky's arms. Bucky held him a little closer, very much protective despite the fact he knew none of the Avengers would ever want to harm Steve, except maybe Tony: Even still, Tony had respect for the captain, he just had a really shitty way of showing it. "Closer," whispered Steve, who wheezed ever so slightly upon inhalation once more. Sam got closer so that his ear was by the soldier's ear. Steve leaned up just a little bit more, exhaling as he whispered, "...On your left..." He then laid back down flat, with Sam giving a saddened smile. He would never again think of 'left' the same way, and it was all thanks to Steve. Now he was dying, so the word would truly just upset him. Sam sat up and gave Steve a salute, standing upright again after.

This was hard on them all. As Steve's eyes wandered his friend's faces, he could tell just how much he meant to each and every one of them. Some were in tears like Bucky, while others just gave sad looks. There would be no more Captain America, and that was too much to fully process all at once. Steve was dying for the second time, only this time, it would be the final time. Somehow, Natasha had silently coerced Bucky into lifting Steve up to bring him over to the vehicle that Bucky had arrived in, a small car that had been provided by Scott Lang after they had heard the final gunshot. They thought the fight was over, but for one specific individual, the fight was dragging on longer than he wanted it to; A fight for his life, which would inevitably lead to death. "If you make it through this, we... we should, like, lay low for a while. We should just stay inside, and just... be with each other," said Bucky, who was very much afraid his lover wouldn't make it out alive.

Loading Steve up into the back of the car, he was growing too weak to properly support himself upright, and so he had to utilize his boyfriend's arms, repositioning them around his body so he could sit up just a little bit more. Things began to suddenly get blurry for Steve Rogers as they drove off, trying to make their way back to the Avengers compound. He looked up at Bucky while his eyes began to shut, though he was fighting it as he kept opening them back up. "I..." He allowed his head to lazily fall back, heaving breaths now. "I love... you... and I'm with you 'til... the end... of the line," he said, occasionally letting out a breath. He finally shut his eyes, the world surrounding him going black and falling silent. He exhaled his final breath, falling limp.

 

* * *

 

"Steve...?" A light hand on his cheek could be felt, one that was cold yet delicate, one he could vaguely recognize to be the hand of a female. "Steve, are you alright?"

The soldier quietly opened his eyes, only to squint at the harsh light that initially entered. He allowed his eyes to slowly adjust to the light, a face soon made out to be directly above him. He blinked a couple of times before that face became clear, a face so familiar he wondered if this was a dream.

_Peggy._

"You took quite a fall there. I think we've had enough dancing for the night."

Steve slowly sat up to feel a light ache within the back of his head. He had to be dreaming, right? Maybe this was what heaven was like. "Hm...? Oh, yeah... I think we should stop tonight." Something about this whole thing felt surreal. Perhaps it was because the last time he saw the Brit she was in a casket, or maybe it was simply that he couldn't wrap his mind around the idea of actually being dead and seeing her. He couldn't really feel much of anything within his own body, simply feeling numb; Sad, like he was missing something, and he was. _Bucky..._

"Then come, let's do something different. The war's over, we can do what we want to now. We don't have to fight anymore."

Something about that word rang throughout his head loudly, so much so that it practically drowned out everything else. _Fight_...

Rising to his feet, he closed his eyes for a brief moment to try and adjust from the dizziness in his head, but once he opened his eyes, he was in a completely different place. There was no Peggy, there was no more music or laughter, only silence and loneliness. He furrowed his eyebrows in utter confusion, his eyes beginning to search the perimeter of the room. He didn't know how he got here, he didn't know why he was here, but he didn't like it. The air had a light breeze as he could tell by the curtains, but he realized he couldn't feel the draft that seeped into the room from the window. He couldn't feel it at all, actually, not even a little bit. The room he stood in appeared to be an office-like building, a single desk in the room with a couple of chairs, but nobody sat in the chairs. It was dim, almost holding a greenish hue to it.

Snapping him from his thoughts, the door behind him had opened up to reveal a man in a black suit and black hair topped off with a fair complexion and a bit of black stubble, a slight grin attached to his lips. Steve turned around to face this man, immediately tensing up. He reached behind him to grab his shield, only to realize he didn't have it. In fact, he was no longer even wearing his suit and he was simply in normal clothes, no bullet wound in sight. "Why, hello there. Steve, was it?" He had an Australian accent as he spoke, walking into the room to sit at the desk with slow strides as he crossed the room. "I do hope you aren't too upset that you're abruptly in a different spot. We normally place those who have died in an area with somebody they feel safe with; A hallucination, if you will. Gives people a nice warm welcome into this place until they just... blink."

"I won't answer any questions until you answer mine: Who are you, and why am I here?" Steve kept himself alert and his eyes glued to this Australian man, confusion evident in his eyes. He kept his face emotionless otherwise. "Where am I?"

Steve's demeanor earned a chuckle from the other man as he sat in the chair behind the desk, leaning back. He laced his fingers together and rested them over his stomach, looking up to the blonde. "Oh, you don't need to answer my question. You're Steve Rogers, everybody knows you. You can call me... Crowley." He waved one hand lazily as he sat upright, speaking once more. "Purgatory. It's the so-called 'middle ground' between heaven and hell. I'm sure you're rather familiar with the term, you aren't exactly a stupid man." He folded his hands together upon the desk, leaning forward a little more. "You're here because I wished it so. The big man upstairs wished to claim you, but since I run purgatory, I'm keeping you here. You have a choice to make, Steve, as I'm giving you that choice. Per _his_ request."

Joining the man at the desk with a bit of hesitation, he clenched his jaw slightly and exhaled a sigh through his nose. The man wasn't lying, that much he knew. He sat himself down in the chair directly across from the other man, though still keeping unsettled eyes upon the man who called himself Crowley. "A choice? What, between heaven and hell? If the big man wanted me upstairs, why give me a choice? Why would I want to go down below?"

With another chuckle, the man shook his head and rose to his feet once again. He crossed the room toward an elongated table nearby which held a bottle of whiskey and a couple of small glasses. He opened the bottle and took one of those glasses, pouring a bit of the alcohol into it. "No, Steve. Not a choice between heaven and hell," he responded, capping the glass bottle and then setting it down. The entity grabbed the glass from the table, throwing a glance in the super soldier's direction. He raised the glass to his lips and took a sip of the amber-colored liquid, moving back over to where he previously had been sitting. "I'm giving you the choice to return to Earth. He seems to think you have more potential, like there's more you should do. However, there will be a cost in returning to Earth, if you so choose to... Or, if you prefer it, you can go to where you were originally meant to be replaced and remain deceased. Your soul will belong to the devil if you choose Earth, when you finally die next time."

This was a lot to take in. He had the opportunity to return to Earth to live again, to be with his friends again... to be with Bucky again. He knew there would be a cost in returning, but it was still tempting. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked away a little bit, chewing on the inside of his mouth as he thought about his options. This was a harder decision than he expected it to be. He gave a nod soon enough, looking back up to the dark-haired man. "I know what I want to do."

 

* * *

 

 

Six months. He had been in a coma for six months. After a long conversation with the entity, he chose to remain on Earth. One of the nurses, an older fellow with white hair and glasses, entered the room and gave the man the softest of smiles not long after he woke from his coma. "It's good to see ya awake and out of your coma, Steve!" That nurse was soon called down by another doctor, to which the man gave the super soldier a light wink, as if he knew something that Steve didn't. "Keep up the good work, kid," he said before exiting the room, leaving Steve a little confused yet happy to be greeted.

It wasn't for another two weeks that he decided to stop being a secret to the other Avengers, finally emerging from the wing of the compound that the infirmary was on. Shuffling through a small crowd of Asgardians, he couldn't help but to smile as he saw his favorite guy standing by a window, though he looked sad as he gazed out of the large pane of glass. The blonde came up behind Bucky with a dorky smile on his lips, placing a hand on his shoulder quietly. "Hey, Buck. I really missed you. So how about we lay low for a while?"

**Author's Note:**

> Ah, hello!  
> You may be wondering why I chose to add in the devil.  
> Well, one reason is that I wanted to slip in a reference to something - Supernatural seemed like a great reference to add in, as it fits.  
> Another is, they DO include the actual devil into Marvel comics. I'm not religious, I simply thought following a little bit of the comics would work.  
> Steve does indeed come back after he "dies", only he retires from being Cap for a while due to almost being assassinated. I merely wanted to add a bit of backstory to it.  
> Cheers!


End file.
